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"What a sacrifice they're making," Zared said sarcastically.
"The alternative was to send Khala in there," Ryze said, his expression unchanged. "I assumed no one would be happy with that arrangement. So you know, they're only going there to talk, not fuck everything in sight."
I wanted to growl, ‘they better not,’ but what right did I have to decide that for either of them? We fucked, that didn't mean we were committed to each other. And yet, the jealousy that coiled inside me at the thought of them touching someone else was real. As real as the bread in my hand. The roll that was getting squashed because I tightened my fingers around it.
I loosened my grip, licked crumbs off the side of my pointer finger and went on eating.
The knowing look Ryze gave me said he noticed what I did.
That was another thing I wasn't going to apologise for. Rational or not, I felt what I felt. Some kind of connection to both Fae men. Ryze too, in spite of everything. A connection that went beyond the bond.
Yes, I felt them, their emotions, in the back of my mind, but Iwantedto. I liked having them all there. It felt…right.
"If they're only going in to talk, then why not send me?" I asked. "The men in there might open up to a woman." I was sure I could be persuasive, given the opportunity to try. Men seemed to like my company.
"No," Zared growled.
"It pains me to say it, but I agree with Zared," Ryze said. "It's not somewhere I would send a woman unless she was prepared for every eventuality. And I do meanevery. Some of the men who go there aren't above taking what they think they paid for. In the Winter Court, there would be punishment for doing that. Here, I couldn't guarantee it. And even if there was, you couldn't do anything without exposing who you are. That would be dangerous for you and the rest of us. I know you want to help your sisters, but that's not a risk I'm willing to allow."
I wanted to argue, but he was adamant. Nothing I said would change that.
I nodded instead. "I'd suggest you could all stay close, but I doubt you'd be conspicuous enough." Three arrogant Fae and a tall human, at least two of who would spend the entire time glaring, would stick out like a griffin playing the piano. I'd never seen a griffin in person, but I assumed playing musical instruments wasn't something they could do.
"No, we'd be lurking outside with our ears to the door," Ryze agreed. "That would definitely not go unnoticed."
"Speak for yourself," Zared said. "I wouldn't even leave the room."
"That would also not go unnoticed," Ryze said. "We can all agree sending Vayne and Tavian was the best choice. They're more than capable of taking care of themselves. I just hope they don't kill anyone this time." He grimaced, but didn't look too concerned.
"Is this something you do often?" I asked. The way he was talking, it sounded like little more than an afternoon of fun for them. Something they did to entertain themselves, like drinking together and laughing over the gods knew what.
"More often than any of us would like." Ryze leaned his head back and closed his eyes. "There always seems to be something that needs our attention here."
"And you can't help yourself?" Zared asked.
Ryze cracked one eye open. "No. Nor would you if you were in my position. Keeping other Fae from provoking a war or even a minor conflict is a job in itself."
"You should learn to delegate," Zared told him.
Ryze looked at me. "He's been taking lessons from Vayne and Tavian, I see."
I grinned back at him without apology. "It would seem like it."
"Maybe we should have sent him along to the brothel." Ryze closed his eye again. "They might enjoy the novelty of a human in their midst."
"Fuck off," Zared snapped.
Ryze simply chuckled.
I leaned against Zared and finished my roll. It really was delicious, it must have been baked within the last hour or two. Whatever people might say about Fae, they couldn't complain about their food.
"Did the leads give any indication of which sisters are still in the Summer Court?" I asked, breaking the few minutes of silence.
"All we heard were whispers of women taken from Ebonfalls and brought here." Ryze said without opening his eyes. "Nothing substantial beyond that. We don't even know if they're still alive, if they've been through heat, or if they've transformed. All of this might ultimately have been pointless." He frowned. "Perhaps not pointless. Either way, we needed to know."
"Yes, we did," I agreed. "If you hadn't come, I would have been tempted to go anyway, even if I was here by myself."
He smiled. "I know."
